Kathryn lives a fulfilled life as a single mother, having raised six successful daughters and devoting herself to her Islamic faith.

The matriarch works two jobs and still has time to share reels on social media of her fun-filled life.

One video from last week however stood out, as she shared what it was like celebrating Eid al-Adha with her 16-year-old autistic daughter, Zainab. The cute reel revealed the challenges and quirks that come with celebrating a religious holiday with a neuro-diverse teen.

Celebrations consisted of spending a calm day in the park to allowing Zainab to wear a comfortable hoodie over a dazzling dress. Yet Kathryn insists it was still the perfect day and no different to other families' more mainstream celebrations.

This may be because the part time TV presenter is used to adapting her Islamic lifestyle around her daughter's needs. From helping her cope with changing prayer times to advocating for autistic friendly spaces in Mosques, Kathryn lifts the veil on life for an autistic Muslim teen.

Despite the challenges, she says she wouldn't change it for the world. The 49-year-old said: "She struggles with changing prayer times, as Muslims our prayer times change in winter and summer for example.

"She cannot go to the Mosque when its busy which affects us, because we cannot all go together. So someone stays with her and the rest go to the Mosque.

"We went into the garden and prayed together, and she loved it. She needs a lot of space around her and sometimes takes time getting ready.

"She has her afternoon tea at a certain time and then has her alone time when she relaxes. She comes into the family room at 5pm but if there are too many people there, she goes into her room to relax."

Eid celebrations have to be customized as the change in routine proves too difficult for Zainab, who takes longer to process the day. In Kathryn's Instagram reel posted on June 28, Zainab played in the garden lightly for comfort.

She then prayed before Kathryn took her to a local park, with few people, where they enjoyed quiet time with some ice cream. They ended the day swimming in their home pool.

The video received positive responses from parents also raising autistic children. Kathryn said there is not a lot of awareness of the responsibilities of being a Muslim.

She said: "We often don't know when Eid is so going to be, that uncertainty in itself is stressful for someone with autism. We don't know until the sighting of the moon.

"Clothing or something with sequins and silk is very itchy and scratchy for my daughter. If it is hot weather she won't want pretty clothes, people with autism do not want to wear something different to what they normally wear.

"I allowed her to wear her best jogging trousers and a new hoodie, if she is not comfortable she will not enjoy Eid. She doesn't want to visit other people's houses or do loud activities.

"We do bowling or take her swimming instead. She doesn't like a change in food either so I have to make her something familiar like lasagne.

"Last year's Eid we wanted to go to the cinema and have desserts, but Zainab would have been too overwhelmed. So my daughters got my white bed sheets, took them into the garden with a table, pin board and brooms.

"They ordered a projector and did a cinema night in the garden. We toasted marshmallows too. She loved it."

The single mother remembers Zainab's diagnosis at ten-years-old after difficulties in school. Since that point she has designed her life around Zainab's comfort. She hopes public spaces can do the same for others with autism.

She plans to advocate for more autistic friendly spaces in Mosques, saying: "Mosques need to create a safe space for autistic people. Most don't have one and I would like to campaign for that. I think it would be great if more Mosques did that otherwise autistic people will continue to feel excluded. A lot of Mosques don't have space."

Birmingham Central Mosque recently held an Autism Hour in March with specially designed activities for families. Kathryn believes other Mosques can follow suit. So what advice does she have for Muslim families with an autistic child?

She said: "Have a calm Eid. Talk to everyone else in the family and ask how can we be happy?

"How can we have a fun day? Think about the family as a whole, even if you just go to the park or a walk, as long as you are together then that's calm.

"Don't worry if your son or daughter don't get dressed up in their Eid clothes, it's ok if they wear everyday clothes because you want them to be happy. Take their needs into consideration.

"If they don’t want to do something it's ok. It is difficult, I take everyday as it comes."

Source: birminghammail.co.uk